Extrinsic
by GrandiloquentAmphigory
Summary: After the players escape the Medium, Rose finds herself on Alternia, as a troll, the only one to remember humanity or Sburb. Now she has to contend with an oppressive dictatorship, Imperial Drones, and a budding revolution to save not only herself but the entire troll race.


**Chapter 1**

Your name is Rose Lalonde and your brother is dead.

That's what Dirk tells you, at least, as he stumbles off of the transportalizer towards where you're huddled in a circle with Roxy and Terezi. Roxy leaps up and runs to him, interrogating him about the fates of the other players. You can hardly blame her, since he's the first source of information any of you have received since taking shelter here. He doesn't know where anyone else is, but he witnessed the death of a troll he didn't know the name of, but from his description was clearly Vriska. Roxy narrates your battle with the Condesce, interrupted by the appearance of Jade, still under the control of the empress, the subsequent destruction of LOFAF, and how the two of you barely managed to escape them through the transportalizer hidden on LOPAN into the small room you're in now. Around this point is when you tune out their conversation.

Dirk doesn't look good. His glasses are missing and he's bleeding from a long gash across his forehead. Unlike Roxy, he doesn't look desolate at the news of Dave's death. He just looks exhausted, as if emotional upheaval is a physical battle and he's worn out from fighting it. You might say you feel the same way. You're mostly in disbelief at the news, but still scared for the others.

You think of John, the ever-smiling prankster of a childhood friend, who encouraged you to be immature back when you felt yourself so far above the naiveté of youth.

Jade, the sweetest, most selfless person you've ever met.

Kanaya, elegant, beautiful Kanaya, your verbal sparring partner turned lover, graceful and deadly, shy and caring, who accepted you when you were broken and fought you endlessly for the purpose of saving you.

You're sick of worrying. You desperately want to do something to help, anything, but Terezi was very clear that your chances of being discovered by one of the numerous villains you now face will skyrocket if you leave the makeshift hideout.

"And I can't allow you to do that," she said darkly, resting her hand on the dragon-shaped head of her cane.

So despite the fact that you were itching to leave, with or without resistance from your fellow Seer (you could easily best her in a physical battle, considering only one of you has ascended to God Tier), you grudgingly (thanks in part to considerable urging from Roxy) deferred to her judgement and instead repeatedly attempted to contact your friends via Pesterchum and advise them to retreat. None of them answered, either because they were too busy fighting or for the other, increasingly likely explanation.

You strongly suspect that you're in a doomed timeline.

"You know what? Fuck this." Your ectobiological mother's voice cuts into your thoughts. She sounds sharp and determined and pissed. You join Terezi and Dirk in watching as she decaptchalogues her laptop, opens it, and begins furiously typing. "I've got kickass hacker skills and Sburb installed. If this game's impossible to beat the normal way, I'm gonna find us a different route."

o o o

Despite what you may have hoped from that declaration, no dramatic event immediately follows. What does occur is what you estimate to be about an hour of Roxy staring at the computer, mumbling to herself as she types, occasionally raising her voice to curse at the screen, until she finally sits back, gives an exasperated sigh, and says, "done."

Knowing Roxy, you would have expected a little more enthusiasm. Dirk speaks for you as well when he asks, "what's the catch?"

"There's a way to get us out of the game and send us back to our universe, I guess? Look, it's risky. If I fuck up, there's a shitton of bad things that could happen. We might stop existing. Like, no dream bubbles, just... nothing. But if I don't do this-"

"We're doomed," Terezi interrupts. "Most of our players are probably dead. You've lost your only chance of winning. We have nothing to lose. Do it."

Roxy looks uncertain for a moment, but her expression hardens and she hits the last key with all the finality of a warrior striking a killing blow.

Immediately, the room illuminates with a blinding white glow. In the corner, a small pinprick of blackness appears, quickly growing and spreading like a flame across paper. It reaches Terezi first, consuming her before she has time to realize what's happening. Next to go is Dirk, apparently unfazed as ever. You lock eyes with Roxy just before she too vanishes. For a moment you're alone, unsure of what comes next, until the darkness pauses just at the tips of your fingers. The sensation is mildly uncomfortable, though not painful, similar to the prickly feeling one gets when a limb falls asleep. The void rushes forward and the sensation overwhelms you before everything disappears.


End file.
